atcampos1 Posted November 20, 2016 Share #1 Posted November 20, 2016 Dear all, I have a doubt about the correct use of the EM's IKE jacket with pants. Does anyone have any picture from a 29th ID sergeant wearing his IKE jacket in the regular EM's OD shade with a light shade pants instead of the expected OD shade as per the IKE jacket? I have been told that this combination was possible but I do not have any literature or even pictures to prove that. If you could send me any picture, any information or even any website, that would be great! Thanks in advance and best regards, Alex Triffoni. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted November 20, 2016 Share #2 Posted November 20, 2016 29rs on their way home from the ETO Combo of IKE with light shade wool trousers was possible and even rather common... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atcampos1 Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share #3 Posted November 20, 2016 Thanks a lot for your help dear Johan Willaert!!! I have never seen this picture before and it clearly shows that what I've heard was really possible! Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted November 21, 2016 Share #4 Posted November 21, 2016 You're welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 21, 2016 Share #5 Posted November 21, 2016 Great photo Johan The first man on the lefy looks like a former 13th Airborne man by the pattch hes wearing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted November 21, 2016 Share #6 Posted November 21, 2016 Great photo Johan The first man on the lefy looks like a former 13th Airborne man by the pattch hes wearing Yes, Ron, it looks that way.. Maybe he transferred to the 29th for the trip home.. Or he is still with an other unit at this date and is in this picture by coincidence... Most, if not all, of the GIs on the picture are 29'ers with some wearing 116IR DUIs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QED4 Posted November 21, 2016 Share #7 Posted November 21, 2016 What exactly do you mean by "Light Shade"? If you mean an actual different spec number shade like the officer's light and dark pants then no enlisted men did not have different shade pants. If you mean were the EM pants often a lighter shade than the jacket then yes. In theory the pants and jacket should have matched but unlike now the uniform was not issued as a complete suit cut from the same bolt of cloth. They were procured and issued separately and quality control as far as color goes was quite lax, they needed uniforms now and if the color was close it was good. Plus the pants were often worn with out the jacket and they faded more then the jacket. If you put ten pairs of EM pants together chances are you won't have two the same shade so often the light end of the spectrum got matched the a darker jacket. Now if you mean did they wear the khaki chino pants with the OD wool jacket then no not according to regulations but that is not to say that it never happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atcampos1 Posted November 22, 2016 Author Share #8 Posted November 22, 2016 What exactly do you mean by "Light Shade"? If you mean an actual different spec number shade like the officer's light and dark pants then no enlisted men did not have different shade pants. If you mean were the EM pants often a lighter shade than the jacket then yes. In theory the pants and jacket should have matched but unlike now the uniform was not issued as a complete suit cut from the same bolt of cloth. They were procured and issued separately and quality control as far as color goes was quite lax, they needed uniforms now and if the color was close it was good. Plus the pants were often worn with out the jacket and they faded more then the jacket. If you put ten pairs of EM pants together chances are you won't have two the same shade so often the light end of the spectrum got matched the a darker jacket. Now if you mean did they wear the khaki chino pants with the OD wool jacket then no not according to regulations but that is not to say that it never happened. Hello QED4, Thanks for your reply! What I mean is exactly as you've state here: If you mean were the EM pants often a lighter shade than the jacket then yes. As far as I know, from 1937 up to 1943 the light shade (OD32???) was the correct color for the wool trousers for GIs (NCOs and regular soldiers) and, by 1944, a "new" color (OD33???) was introduced, giving to the combo a more "uniform appearance", remembering the way the officers wore when we think of the "chocolat brown" color for both the Class A (winter) and IKE jacket with the wool trousers (i'd rather prefer the pink wool trousers instead but I know both were allowed). Actually I was looking for a real evidence for the 29th ID and thanks to Johan I could see that I was right and even in 1944 and 1945 or even in 1946(!!!) the GIs wore the wool trousers in a lighter shade. Best regards, Alex Triffoni. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted November 22, 2016 Share #9 Posted November 22, 2016 Yes, Ron, it looks that way.. Maybe he transferred to the 29th for the trip home.. Or he is still with an other unit at this date and is in this picture by coincidence... Most, if not all, of the GIs on the picture are 29'ers with some wearing 116IR DUIs... Agreed I think he is wearing the DIs as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted November 23, 2016 Share #10 Posted November 23, 2016 Thought of this post today... Someone gave me a Readers' Digest WWII special today, and there was a picture of none other than Bill Mauldin buttoning up his little boy's pjs, and darned if he isn't wearing an Ike with lighter shade pants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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